“Poi” is a Maori word for ‘ball’ on a cord; the word “Poi” is also used to refer to the art of managing a ball on a cord, consisting in a form of juggling where the ball is swung around the body for playing, dancing and exercising. Many years ago, Poi was used by the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand to increase their flexibility and strength in their hands and arms as well as to improve coordination. Originally, these Poi balls were related to some dances performed by the Maori female dancers, using balls attached to flax strings, swung rhythmically. The purpose of this dance using balls was basically for keeping their hands flexible. Furthermore, Maori men used Poi to exercise strength and coordination required during a battle.
While, in the beginning, Poi had the purpose of enhancing dance and rhythm, nowadays it is used for several different purposes, including not only entertainment but also for some health-related benefits like increasing wrist strength, increasing body flexibility and improving coordination.
Many types of Poi have been developed over time. For instance, fabric Poi are known where the balls are made of different types of soft fabrics using various attractive colors; plastic bags, sponges and knitting wool may be used in making this type of Poi. Pendulum contact Poi are known, consisting in a set of two Poi which is used combining contact juggling style moves with regular Poi routines; different airwraps, stalls, throws, floaters and pendulum routines can be created. In addition, tailed Poi are known, where the Poi ball incorporates comet tails for an enhanced aesthetic effect, and requires the player to improve the plane control to prevent the tails from tangling. Furthermore, sock Poi are known wherein, instead of using cords, a pair of long knee high socks with a ball inside is used to create the Poi. In another example, fire Poi are known, involving a wick attached to several chains; the fire feature adds not only a visual impact on the user and the audience but also some risk during the spinning of the balls. In a similar but safer example, glow LED (light emitting diode) lighted Poi are known, consisting of a ball that includes an internal battery-powered LED for providing a light feature that enhances the visual attraction of the product.
While known Poi devices are useful, they present several drawbacks. For example, known Poi are generally fabricated of a hard plastic that may injure the user and cause bruising when hitting the body during the learning process of spinning the ball. Further, these known devices do not include an adjustable length cord and do not allow easy modifications of the cord to facilitate various spin motions. Finally these known devices generally have a cord that may bind as the Poi is spun and as a result, the motion of the ball may be adversely affected. In addition, illuminated Poi balls may not provide safe enclosure of the battery or batteries.
Efforts to provide a Poi that overcomes the drawbacks in the prior art have not met with significant success to date. As a result, there is a need in the art for an improved Poi that solves at least one of the aforementioned problems.